Dress to thrill

Ten years ago, circa high school, I took my sweet time preparing for prom. I shrugged off all the worries most of my classmates had been biting their nails over for at least a month.

My Zen mode which was really just laziness coupled with a stupid ability to forget and leave important things to the last minute (a talent only true procrastinators can relate to) resulted in a late-night scramble to find the perfect dress.

My poor mother was put through the ringer as we trekked to store after store after store till the malls closed. “Too casual,” I said as we were presented with a black knee-length dress only just hinging on cocktail. “Too matronic,” I said of a sequined black frock that I swore sported shoulder pads. (This was the ‘90s, by the way. Anything ‘80s was strictly démodé.) “Too formal,” I said, dismissing a full-on gown that would look insane — and not in a good way — in our high school gym. (Yes, kids, my prom was held in a gym. Nothing looks chic in a setting as deprezz as my high school gym. Nothing.)

That could be the reason why Xandra Ramos-Padilla, the retailer behind The Ramp, decided to put up an eveningwear section at Crossings. Here, chic floor-length frocks by designer labels like Pret-a-Party by Tippi Ocampo, Salsa Trends by Arleen Sipat, Maud by Mitzi Quilendrino-Bustos, United Pop by Ritchie Ortega and many more mix with heavily-detailed cocktail sheathes and swingy Mod dresses. Dubbed the Evening Salon on the second level of Crossings Shangri-La Plaza, the space features evening gowns in a luxurious setting with oversized chairs inspired by a deck of cards, gold leaf chandeliers, draped fabric and prints on frosted glass, according to Xandra.

“When people need to dress for a wedding, prom or a big work event,” says Xandra, ”a lot of them don’t have the time to look for a dress or the budget to have one made. We created this section with those people in mind.”

Oh Xandra, if only you were around when my prom happened I wouldn’t have been stuck with some horrific dress!

“Women don’t always have time to have a dress or gown custom-made with three or four fittings. Sometimes they need a dress for this weekend,” adds Xandra. “We wanted a place where they can get pieces from young, up-and-coming designers with unique points of view, but more affordable than made-to-order prices. We offer sizes. Some designers accept special orders for different sizes and colors and can deliver in two weeks.”

Sadly, a friend of mine, who’d decided to go on the retail route, ended up in the same dress as a classmate of ours. Except classmate was dressed in the red version while my friend wore the blue twin. Oh, the horror!

Xandra is quick to note that only a few styles of each dress are produced so running into a girl in the same coral, floor-length one-shoulder dress by Salsa Trends you’re sporting is next to nil.

Now, if only we could turn back time and send over some dresses to my past self, it would’ve saved myself — and my mom! — a lot of grief.

Crossings’ Evening Salon is currently located at Shangri-La Plaza with other branches to follow in the coming months.